Ratchet lever



March 31, 1931. N. MC-NAU-GHT ET AL I RATCHET LEVER Filed Oct. 8. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l fioefifar- M1715 FWCWM fimarJfiruyfrsam March 31, 1931. N. F. MCNAUGHT ET AL 1,798,433?

RATCHET LEVER Filed Oct. 8', 1928 ZSheets-Sheet 2 MAW 9/0. w

Patented Mar. 31, 1931 UNITED states rA'ranr caries NORRIS F. MCIQ'AUG HT AND EDWARD HENRY PETERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AS- 7 SIGNORS T0 DURO METAL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPO- RATION OF ILLINOIS RATCHET LEVER Application filed October 8, 1928. Serial No. 311,026.

The present invention relates to ratchet levers, and is particularly concerned with ratchet levers adapted to be used as wrenches.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision 'of an improved ratchet lever assembly in which the wrench is posit vely connected to the handle and in which no springs are required for actuating the pawl.

Another object is the provision of a ratchet lever in which the pawl is automatically and positively moved into either engaging or releasing position by movement of the handle.

Another object is the provision of aratchet wrench in which the connection-between the wrench and handle is controlled by the movement of the handle and in which the force exerted upon the handle is utilized to actuate the pawl into firmer engagement with the wrench.

Another object is the provision of a ratchet Wrench which is more durable, moresimple and more economically manufactured than the wrenches of the prior art.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, of which there are two sheets, 7

Figure 1 is a plan view of a ratchet wrench with the pawl and ratchet member shown in released or non-engaging position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 with one of the plates of the body member removed, showing the pawl in engaging position;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; 1

Figure /1 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a modified form of ratchet wrench; v

Figure 5 is a view of the same modification similar to Figure 2; and p v Figure 6 is a sectional View taken on the line 66 of Figure 5.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the ratchet lever or wrench, which is indicated in its entirety at 10, preferably includes a supof the invention.

porting or body member 11, a rotatable member 12, a pawl 13 and a handle 14.

The rotatable ratchet member 12 may consist of any form of wrench, including members having projecting wrench parts as distinguished from a socket, andthe present embodiment consists of a round metallic member provided with a plurality of teeth 15 located on its periphery and having a noncircular socket 16 axially located in its body.

The rotatable member 12 is preferably formed with cylindrical portions 17 and 18 of a diameter less than that at the teeth '15, thereby providing annular shoulders 19 and 20 which may serve asthrust hearings to retain the rotatable member inits support, and

the cylindrical surfaces 17 v and 18 form journals for the same.

be formed with adished outer surface 21,

which is slightly tapered at 22 adjacent the socket 16' for more readily guiding a complementary non-circular part into the socket 16. The teeth 15 in this embodiment have been formed with shoulders 23 which are substantially radial relative to the center of the rotatable member 12, and with camming' surfaces 24: upon the other sides of the teeth 15 adapted to aid in camming a pawl out of the depression between the teeth, but the shape of the teeth may be varied considerably while still utilizing the other features The ratchet wheel 12 may be constructed by casting the same of steel or other durable and 18 of the rotatable member 12, the aper- V I tures 30 being locatedto register with each other adjacent the enlarged ends of the plates 25 and 26. The plate 26 is also provided with F e If desired, the rotatable member 12 mayv a pair of apertures 31 and 32 adapted to receive the bolts 33 and 34, and the plate 25 is provided with apertures 35 and 36 of reduced size adapted to receive the threaded ends 37 and 38 of thebolts 33 and 34.

The bolts 33 and 34 are preferably formed with the cylindrical portions 39 and 40 adapted to serve as pivot posts for the pawl 13 and handle 14, respectively, and by providing reduced threaded portions 37 and 38, annular shoulders 41 and .42 are formed upon the bolts for engagement inside the plate 25, whereby the nuts 43 and 44 may be screwed ti htly against the plate 25 without pinching the pawl or handle. In other words, this construction enables the plates 25 and 26 to be secured in spaced relation, permitting free movement of the pawl and handle.

The handle 14 preferably comprises a stock bar of steel having the edges 45 rounded to protect the hands of the user and having sharp corners removed. The bar 14 which comprises the handle is preferably of a thickness whichwill fit between the plates 25 and 2G with sutlicient play for free movement, and the bar is provided at one end with a transverse bore 46 adapted to rotatably receive the cylindrical portion 40 of the bolt 34. The handle 14 is also provided with cam surfaces 47 and 48 adapted to co-operate with cam surfaces 49 and 50, respectively, upon the pawl 13, whereby the handle 14 may posi-' tively actuate the pawl 13 into engaging or releasing position relative to theratchet wheel 12. I

In the present embodiment the cam surfaces 47 and 48 are formed by providing a curved protuberance 51 at the inner end of the handle for co-operation with a socket 52 formed in the pawl 13, and this particular construction provides an extremely positive connection between the handle and wrench member for automatically engagingand releasing the pawl. The exact construction of the lever and cam may be varied,'however,

while still utilizing the most important features of the invention, as will be apparent from a consideration of the embodiment shown in Figures 4 to 6.

The pawl 13 and its associated parts provide an automatic connection between the handle 14 and the rotatable member 12 which is actuated by movement of the handle 14 and held in proper position by the force exerted upon the handle. The pawl 13 may consist of a fiat metal member adapted to be rotatably received between the plates 25 and 26 upon the bolt 33, having a transverse bore 53 for receiving the cylindrical portion 39 of the bolt 33. The pawl 13 is formfed'with a tooth 54 having a shoulder 55 adapted to engage flatly against the shoulders 23 on the rotatable member 12, and the pawl 13 is formed with the camming surfaces 49 and 50, previously described.

The assembly of the foregoing parts will be apparent to those skilled in the art, but

we desire it to be understood that in the commercial embodiment of the invention, the bolts 33 and 34 may be riveted over instead of being provided with nuts 43' and 44.

The operation of the ratchet wrench is as follows:

The rotatable member 12 may be placed over a non-circular part to which the wrench is to; be applied, or the socket 16 may be provided with the usual stub shaft to which socket wrenches of any size may be applied. Assuming that a member is to be moved in a counterclockwise direction in Figures 1 and 2, it willbe observed that when the handle 14 is moved counterclockwise, the camming surface 48 will engage the surface 50 on the pawl 13, moving the pawl clockwise from the position of Figure 1 to the position of Figure 2, and bringing the pawl into engagement with the teeth 15.

When the parts have assumed the position shown in Figure 2 further movement. of the handle 14 relative to the body member, pawl and wrench member is prevented by engagement of the surface 54 on the pawl with the surface 24 on the ratchet wheel, and the handle 14 is thus rigidly connected to the wrench member for rotation in a counterclockwise direction. a

.When the handle is again moved in a clockwise direction at the end of a stroke, the surface 47 on the handle engages the surface 49 on the pawl, rotating the pawl in a counterclockwisedirection and moving the pawl from the position of Figure 2 to that of Figure 1, further motion between the handle and pawl being prevented by engagement of a stop surface 56 formed on the handle, with the surface 57 on the pawl. Further movement of the handle in a clockwise directionwill then rotate the handle, pawl and body member relative to the wrench member 12 to secure a new grip between the ratchet and pawl. During this motion, it should be noted that there is relatively no drag between the ratchet and pawl, as would be the case where the pawl is spring pressed and slides over the surface 24, and consequently the ratchet of the present invention is adapted to operate even when the bolt or nut is relatively loose. Upon movement of the handle 14 again in the counter-' clockwise direction, the same cycle of opera-' tion is repeated.

Referring'to the embodiment shown in Figures 4 to 6, this is a modified form of the invention, including'a cam and lever structure of different form. Thisembodiment as well includes the body member 11, a rotatableprovided with the bearing apertures 30- for the rotatable member 12, and with apertures 31 and 32 of the same size. The bolts 33 and 34: may comprise members having enlarged cylindrical surfaces 39 and 40 and reduced' end portions 58 and 59 adapt-ed to be received in the apertures 31 and 32 of the plates 25 and 26. T he cylindrical portion 58 of the bolts may be riveted over outside the plate 26, thereby permanently securing the plate to the bolts 33 and 3%, and the bolts may 7 be provided with reduced'threaded ends 37 and 38 auapted to receive nuts 43 and 4A for clamping the plate 25 between the nuts and the shoulders l1 and 12.

The wrench member of this embodiment has been provided with a square socket 16, as distinguished from the hexagonal socket shown in a previous embodiment, thereby illustrating another form of wrench which may be used, and the ratchet wheel 12 of this embodiment is of simpler form, having a plurality of teeth 15, whose sides 23 and 24 are substantially the same slope.

The pawl 13 is provided with a tooth adapted to engage between the teeth 15 on the ratchet member 12, and the pawl is pivotally supported upon the bolt 33. The handle 1 1 is lik wise pivotally supportedon the bolt 34, as in the previous embodiment, but in this device the pawl and handle are provided with a relatively simple form of cam surfaceQ hecam surface on the pawl 13 may comprise a flat plane edge52 while the cam surfaces on the handle 14 may comprise two relatively fiat edges 47 and 418 at an obtuse angle to each other with a slight tolerance between the apex 60 of the angle and the surface or edge 52 of the pawl.

The operation of this embodiment is substantially the same as the preceding device, but it should be noted that when the handle 14 is rotated counterclockwise in Figures 4 and 5, the cam surface 47 on the handleengages the flat surface 52 on the pawl 13 at a point 61 above the line of centers of the bolts 33 and 3t, thereby rotating the pawl 13 in a counterclockwise direction. In this embodiment, therefore, the handle and pawl move in the same direction to disengage the pawl from the teeth 15. When the handle lt'is moved in the opposite direction, or clockwise, the surface 17 recedes from the surface 52, but the surface 48 engages the surface 52 on the pawl below the line of centers of bolts 33 and 34, and rotates the pawl 13 clockwise, also bringing the pawl into the position of Figure 5.

The cam and handle of Figures 4: to 6 are very economically manufactured, as they require very little machine work, and it is only necessary to remove a portion of the straight end of a bar to form the surface 47, while the surface 52 may be formed in cutting the materialof which the pawl is formed into proper lengths. The pawl and lever of this embodiment are also reversible relative to the ratchet wheel 12 in the assembly of the device,

thereby simplifying the assembly, as there is less possibility of assembling parts in the wrong position. It should also be noted that when the tooth is in the engaging position, the surface 48 co-operating with the pawl provides a stop member, preventing further movement of the handle relative to the wrench member and body, and when the pawl is in releasing position of Figure l, the surface 47 acts as a stop member to prevent furthe necessity of any springs and eliminating the drag between the pawl and ratchet which prevents the free return of the handle in the devices of the prior art.

Our ratchet wrench is also'more positive in its action and durable in its construction, and

it comprises a new combination of elements which co-operate in an entirely novel mannerv to produce this result While we have illustrated and described a specific embodiment of our invention, many modifications'may be made without departing from the spir t of the invention, and we do not wish to be limited to the precise de-- ta1ls set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is new and desire to secure by Let- '7 ters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a ratchet lever, the combination of a. handle comprising a stock metal bar having an aperture forming a bearing, a pair of flat plates pivotally carried one on each side of said handle, a cylindrical member for pivotally connecting said plates to said handle, said cylindrical member having shoulders for spacing said plates, a pawl pivotally mounted between said plates and having shoulders for engaging opposing shoulders on said handle, said plates having a pair of registering apertures forming bearings for a ratchet wheel, and a ratchet wheel having laterally projecting trunnions pivotally mounted in said latter bearings.

2. In a ratchet lever, the combination of a pair of headed pivot members formed with ournals, with securing means on sald p1vot members, a handle pivotally mounted on one of said journals, a pawl pivotally mounted on the other of said journals,a pair of flat metal plates, mounted on said pivot members,rone

of said plates being confined between the head of apivot member and said handle, a shoulder formed on one or said pivot members and the other of said plates being confined between said shoulder and said securing means on said latter pivot member, whereby said plates are supported in spaced relation to said pawl and handle, a ratchet member rotatably supported by said plates and having teeth for engagement with said pawl, and coo erating shoulders formed on said handle and pawl, whereby the handle controls the movement of said pawl.

In witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names this 3d day of October, 1928.

NORRES F. MONAUGHT. EDWARD HENRY PETERSON. 

